Means for de-icing hangar door tracks and the like



May 20, 1941. s SAULSQN 2,242,329

MEANS FOR DE-ICING HANGAR DOZJR TRACKS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 30, 1940 INVENTOR E. 5. fpg wl 5.421150)?- of ice and snow whereby doors to be opened and Patented May 20, 1 941 UNITED sr ATENT OFFIQE MEANS FOR DEJCING HANGAR DQOR TRACKS AND-THE LIKE Saul Saulson, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Albert Kahn,Inc., a corporation of Michigan ApplicationDecember 30, 1940, Serial No. 372,218

.2 Claims.

. floor level rather than be suspended from trusses overhead. Prior to the instant inventiomexpen- :sive grating covered pipe tunnel ortrench construction has been employed under hangar door tracks wherein steam pipes melt snow and prevent ice from forming on tracks thereabove, and melt ice if formed on the hangar door tracks at times steam is not supplied to the steam pipes in the trench thereunder. The .pipe tunnel or trench generally is sloped to a sump from whence water produced by melting the snow and ice is pumped. Heretofore, if the expensive tunnel or trench construction wasnot employed, a serious and continuous all-winter-long problem existed at hangars to keep the hangar door tracks clear to permitthe hangar closed at all times. Where no de-icing provisions are made, salt or calcium chloride is generally'employed to melt ice and snow at the hangar door tracks. However, the deleterious eifectof such chemicals as salt and calcium chloride upon hangar door tracks and door wheels is undesirable. The expense of snow andice removal from hangar door tracks at commercial hangars by crews of men has led to the employment of expensive steam heated trench or tunnel ice'removal systems hereinbefore mentioned.

In military and naval hangars for fighting planes, it is of prime importance that the hangar door track always be kept free from iceand snow and that the door tracks and wheels bemaintained free from rust or corrosion caused by employing chemical ice melting media.

'Withthe foregoing in view, the primary object of this invention is to provide an efiicient, inexpensive and positive method and means for maintaining hangar door tracks free from ice during sub-freezing weather.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accom- 'panying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a-more or less diagrammatic plan View of one end of a hangar employing a track deicing method and means embodyingthe invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of theihangar door track taken on the line 2-2 of Fig; 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a. preferred type of hangar door track having a hangar door wheel indicated thereon.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the method preferably employed to maintain the hangar door track above freezing temperature. Fig. 5 isa fragmentary elevational View showingnbrine connections to the tubular portion of the hangardoortrack and the bafile employed to direct brine circulation therethrough.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like ,numerals refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the. several views, the invention comprises, in general, one .or more tracks I0 .for hangar doors and the like, each track Ill composed of a tubular rail II preferably positioned in an upturned .channel base I2.supporte'd-on a concrete foundation I3 capable of transferring uniformly the weight of one or more hangaridoors from the track II] to the ground It therebelow, a brineltank I5, a brine tank heater I6, anda brine pump I1 and suitable brine piping by means of which hot' brine is pumped to and through the tubularrailsl I of the said hangar door'tracks It, all as hereinafter described in detail.

The hangar door tracks I I! each have the tubue lar rail II thereof fixed in the upturned channel base I2 by means of continuous welds 18 between the upper end of the channel flanges I wand the sides of the said tubular rail I i. Itwill be noted *that the said tubular rail II preferably bears on .the center of the inside of the back I2! of the said-upturned channel I2. Thus, twoair spaces I 9 are formed between the tubular rail I Iandthe channel base I2 of the track It? into which is entrapped 'air which serves as an insulation medium to minimize the heat loss between the tubular rail II of the'track I0 and the foundationl3.

In-the'particular embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, the two hangar door tracks I0 are preferably secured by welds I to transverse angle sleepers 20 which are embedded into the concrete foundation I3. Strap anchors 2| welded by welds I8I to the said angle sleepers 20 fix them securely into the concrete foundation I3. The construction of. the concrete foundation I3 is much more simple and less expensive than the prior art grating covered trench and pipe tunnel construction and has the further advantage that it does not serve as a collecting place for dirt, paper, oil and mud, and frequent and expensive cleanings thereof are not necessary. The top of the rail ll of each track In is preferably maintained at the level of the hangar floor 22 and the apron 23 so as to be of minimum obstruction to trafic thereacross. The concrete foundation 13 is grooved as indicated by the numeral 35 along each side of the upper half of the tubular rail ll of each track I as best shown in Figsi2 and 3. A suitable construction jointlfl is provided between the track foundation I3 .and the the inner rail is'exposed to the elements when the hangar doors are closed.

The instant invention has provided a simple, inexpensive and practical means for de-icing tracks of hangar doors and the like which employs but a small trough or groove 35 adjacent thereto which may be easily cleaned as compared to prior art pipe tunnel and trench construction which is not easily cleaned and becomes inefiective when filled or partially filled with water, snow, mud and the like. The employment of a heated rail H of hangar door track [0 quickly and effectively loosens snow and 7 ice therefrom sufficiently to permit the wheels 36 hanger fioor 22 and apron 23 to admit of expansion and settlement of each independent ofthe v other.

Fig. 1 discloses more or a hangar 25, the hangar floor 22, apron 23, door tracks l0, track foundation l3, and hangar walls 26 which are formed into door pockets 21 adjacent thehangar door opening in-towhich hangar doors rolling on the tracks I0 are telescopedwhen the hangar doors are opened for the purpose of placing planes into or removing them from the hangar 25. The brine tank l5, brine pump, l1, and the brine make-up and expansion tank 28 are all indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 1 and are preferably supported on a platform 29 suspended in the roof trusses of the hangar 25.

The brine and brine tank heater piping preferably employed is best indicated in Fig. 4 which shows diagrammatically in isometric perspective the brine tank l5, brine tank heater I6, brine pump [1, the brine make-up and expansion tank 28, and the tubular rails I l of the hangar tracks I0. Brine or other anti-freeze mixture made up in the brine make-up and expansion tank 28 is first run by gravity into the brine tank l5, through the entire brine piping and into the brine pump I! in the usual manner in which such a' system is filled.

After the brine system is filled, steam is admitted through the steam supply line 30 to the brine heater l6 disposed in the brine tank I5 and spent steam is returned from the said brine heater [6 through the steam return line 3|. Obviously, other means may be employed for heating the brine in the brine tank l5 such as an oil burner, gas burner or an electric immersion heater. Heated brine is supplied to the tubular rails H by means of the brine pump l1 and brine supply line 32, and the brine which circulates through the tubular rails II of the tracks ID as indicated in Fig. 4 is returned to the brine tank 15 through the return brine line 33 by the brine pump l1 which is preferably disposed in the return brine line 33. A baffle 34 is disposed in the tubular rail ll of the hangar door track Ill between the connections of the brine supply and return lines 32 and 33 thereto assuring positive circulation of hot brine through the tubular rails ll of the hangar door tracks l0. When more than one hangar door track In is employed, it is preferable that the brine be directed to circulate through the outer rail first and through the inner rail second; this because all of the outer-rail is exposed to the elements and only a portion'of less diagrammatically instant invention requires much of the hangar doors 31 to break any ice that may form on the rail ll off therefrom as the said are rolled open or closed. The less heat and fuel to operate than previous constructions, and the track cleaning crews necessitated during subfreezing weather need only be a fraction of the size normally required to maintain'hangar doors in free working condition.

In hangars for the air corps and naval bases, an auxiliary brine heating and pumping system may be employed to assure the de-icing of the hangar door tracks in the event the main brine heating and circulating system should fail.

Although but a single embodiment. of the invention has been disclosed and described in detail, it is to be understood that many changes in the size, shape, arrangement and detail of the various parts thereof may be made and that the novel method employed to accomplish the desired resulstsmay be altered, all without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention other than by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

a 1. In de-icing means for door tracks for hangar doors and the like including means for circulating an anti-freeze medium through said rails, and means for heating said anti-freeze medium sufficiently to raise the temperature of hangar doors 31 the said rails abovefreezing; said track comprising one or more tubular rails, a foundation under said tracks, jacket means between the lower portion of each tubular rail and the said track foundation for minimizing heat loss befoundation.

tween the said tubular rail and the said track foundation.

2; In de-icing means for door tracks for hangar .doors and the like including means for circulating. an anti-freeze medium through said rails, and means for heating said anti-freeze medium sufiiciently to raise the temperature of the said rails above freezing; said track comprising one or more tubular rails, a foundation undersaid tracks, an up-turned channel supporting each rail embedded in thetrack foundation,.the sides of each tubular rail beingwelded continuously to the upper end of the flanges of its supporting channel forming continuous air spacesalong each said tubular rail between the rail and its supporting channel whereby to minimize heat loss between the said tubular rail and the track a SAUL sAUisoN. 

